


Eight Rules for Courting My Father

by ThePaintedScorpionDoll



Category: BioShock Infinite
Genre: Gen, letter format, list format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-03 02:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1064499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePaintedScorpionDoll/pseuds/ThePaintedScorpionDoll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though they're really more like guidelines, if you think about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eight Rules for Courting My Father

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by seeing a piece of Elizabeth fanart titled [Ten Rules for Dating My Father](http://turquoisedesertsand.tumblr.com/post/68483951109/seed-of-the-prophet-role-reversal-10-rules) and thinking way too much about what it would be like if Elizabeth actually wrote such a list for one of Booker's intended suitors.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure whether or not I succeeded.

_Understandably, you find it unusual, or even a tad presumptuous, to be receiving such a letter from me, for what could an overprotective daughter of a single man have to teach an older woman already experienced with the world? Under normal circumstances, it would be the other way around, with me learning from you under the overprotective eye of my single father. However, the course of my life has never gone the normal way. This has no doubt left its mark on me._

_What I do understand is this: My father is an adult of his own will, just as I am an adult with mine. Though circumstances have made our bond strong, there remains a level of companionship that I, as his daughter, cannot provide. He has chosen to share his heart and his time with you; that is a choice I will respect and welcome. At the same time, I want only the best for him. I want him to suffer fewer hardships than he has already endured. That is why I write to you now, with the hope that he has placed his heart in good hands._

_And I pray that, with you, he has._

 

1\. No doubt, you have heard all sorts of things about who Booker DeWitt is and what he has done. Unfortunately, most of them are true. By now, however, you have also seen that those things are not the sole entirety of who he is; that he can be a kind man, caring and loving in his actions (if not always in his words). Never forget this.

2\. Sometimes my father has days when his past catches up to him. Sometimes his nights are sleepless from terror. Please be patient with him. Love him. When he needs to be alone, let him be alone. When he speaks, be with him and listen to what he has to say. He will be grateful to you for it (and you will know by the size of the bouquets he brings home in place of betting tickets). Do not expect these phases to vanish. They will only lessen in frequency over time, but these gray times are as much part of him as you and I.

3\. Never be afraid to tell him no. Never be afraid to call him out when he acts foolish, such as when underestimates you (and he will when he is being stubborn, and some seasons, he will be stubborn often).

4\. My father likes to eat. A lot. This doesn't mean you have to know how to cook; he will eat anything. (If you need recipes, however, I have the loveliest book you can look through.)

5\. As gruff as he can be, my father is quite fond of children. Small ones will be protected fiercely. Daughters will be taught the high value of their wit and physical strength. Sons will be taught to be honorable and how to appreciate this value.

6\. Sometimes, he has to be reminded to relax.

7\. Do not ask about the letters on his hand. That is a story he does not like to tell.

8\. That he has become your suitor does not make him any less my father. I swear to respect your presence in his life; please respect mine. Do not ever make him choose between us. It will not end well for either of us.

_With Genuine Respect,  
Anna Elizabeth DeWitt_


End file.
